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to Richmond and Cool shade and found the grub in some of the Pimento 

 trees on both properties, but not to any great extent. Every one about 

 here is quite surprised at my discovery and all are in dread of losing their 

 Pimento." 



Curator, Jamaica Institute to Director, Public Gardens. 



Institute of Jamaica, 17th May, 1895. 

 " I do not at present see any other method than the one you suggest 

 of attacking the pimento borer. I imagine the insertion of the wire 

 would be better than pouring in any fluid or powder to kill them. We 

 shall require to know the full life history, so that the creature may be 

 attacked at some efficient stage. We received from Mr. Townend seve- 

 ral specimens of the chrysalis, and from one of them a large moth has 

 just been hatched/' 



Director of Public Gardens and Plantations to Son. Colonial Secretary* 



Gordon Town, 21st May, 1895. 



" I have been in communication with Mr. Arthur Townend, and with 

 the Curator of the Institute, with reference to the grub attacking 

 Pimento trees. I can suggest no better plan for getting rid of the pest 

 than inserting a copper wire into the holes made by the grubs in the trunk 

 of the Pimento, and so killing them. It appears that more than one 

 kind of insect attacks the Pimento. When the life-history of the insect, 

 or insects, is better known, some other plan may possibly suggest itself. 

 Meantime it is most important that steps should be taken by proprietors 

 to prevent the spread of the pest. 



" It is the larva of the insect which bores its way into the stem, and 

 does the mischief. By thrusting a wire into the hole, the active larva or 

 the inactive pupa may be reached and killed. It is advisable that pro- 

 prietors should obtain a larvae or pupae, and carefully note the appearance 

 of the perfect insect when it emerges, so that it may be recognised and 

 killed whenever possible When the perfect insect is allowed to escape 

 from the burrow in the Pimento, it lays a large number of eggs which 

 later on will increase the pest. 



" Observations are necessary as to whether the insect attacks the branches 

 which are lying on the ground broken off in harvesting the crop. If so, 

 these should be burnt. If any trees are completely infested by the pest, 

 it would be prudent to cut them down and burn them, taking care that 

 no insect escapes." 



Prof. Townsend, formerly Curator of the Institute, wrote the follow- 

 ing note on a "Pimento Borer" in 1893 : — 



"In October, 1892, some pimento sticks were sent to the Museum 

 by Mr. A. E. Husband, of Manchester. They were infested with longi- 

 corn larvae, and were placed by Mr. Cockerell in a jar to breed. The 

 following July, the sticks having remained in the jar undisturbed during 

 the interim, tt was found that several specimens of a small and 

 elongate light coloured longicorn beetle had issued from them. These 

 beetles on being sent to Dr. Riley in Washington, were prononnced to 

 be Cyrtomerus pilicornis Fab. The species is new to the Jamaican lists. 



" As the Pimento or allspice is considerably cultivated in J amaica, 

 this borer may prove a serious pest. The sticks sent to the Museum show 

 rather wide, more or less sinuate or irregular, shallow channels in the hard 



